HIV rates in Haiti drop over decade

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince says the number of Haitians who have tested positive for HIV has declined over the past decade.

The diplomatic mission says the drop is nearly 10 percent and the country's infection rate is now at 3.67 percent. The figures come from Haiti's Ministry of Public Health. The infection rate in the US is under 1 percent.

The embassy also says more people in Haiti are testing for HIV and AIDS, from 58,433 in 2004 to 839,033 now.

Haiti once had one of the highest AIDS rates outside of Africa but that has dropped in part because of a massive influx of foreign aid that has made treatment and prevention more available.

The U.S. Embassy issued the statement to commemorate World AIDS Day, which is Sunday.

The U.N. Children's Fund says it is alarmed about increasing HIV and AIDS rates among adolescents over the last seven years and is advocating an aggressive program that includes condom distribution and antiretroviral treatment.

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